https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:47:17 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/paged/2/#post-98829 Tue, 19 Apr 2005 01:15:23 +0000
Third; Sing it like you mean it. Almost guranteed Cobain was singing with a mild scream almost. The inflections in your voice should be intentional. Sing it like it was your own story. You are restraining you voice which may be why you are ending up flat in some spots.
As for the Second, I am doing all of the above. @ a foot away and using the Groove Tubes PF-1 Pop Filter (that puppy alone cost me 50 bucks!!!).

How close should the pop filter be away from the mic?....... I have it @ 2-3 inches away.

As for the Third, that is something I am working on. Cobain "sounds" like he isn't putting much into it but, as you stated, he probably is.

I've been singing the song at work and in the truck. My friend told me to put a finger in my left ear and hum a tune. He said that doing that will give me a better understanding of my voice so, I've been doing that as well.

It's a work in progress I guess. But, I'm determined to do this!!!



slothrob,

Thanks for the advise. I'm going to wear my headphones next time.


Thank you everyone for all the great tips and honest responces.


Mike]]> In The Studio Mike https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/paged/2/#post-98829 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/paged/2/#post-98640 Sun, 17 Apr 2005 02:29:12 +0000
Second; back away from the mic and use a pop filter. . When your volume comes up you can hear the strain on the capsule of your mic. Optimal distance is between 6-12 inches away from the mic. Using a condensor on voice without a pop filter is a big no no. The capsule is very sesitive and can easily be ruined by too much air pressure on it. I'm not talking about sound pressure. I mean your breathing.

Third; Sing it like you mean it. Almost guranteed Cobain was singing with a mild scream almost. The inflections in your voice should be intentional. Sing it like it was your own story. You are restraining you voice which may be why you are ending up flat in some spots.

A slight reverb will help. You don't need to do all that duplicating just use the reverb as a send effect rather than an insert that way you can mix from the effect source. Chorus and flange will only make your mistakes more obvious as they tend to sharpen highs. You can however duplicate your vox with a slight delay. Do this by physically advancing or retarding the track ever so slightly Make sure you zoom in for this you don't want to be able to hear any noticeable delay. You can dup tracks like this a few times to fatten up your vox. It's very similar to chorus but much more effective and natural sounding. Mix the vox tracks adding a track at a time.]]> In The Studio hueseph https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/paged/2/#post-98640 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/paged/2/#post-98629 Sun, 17 Apr 2005 02:00:07 +0000 In The Studio slothrob https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/paged/2/#post-98629 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/paged/2/#post-98087 Wed, 13 Apr 2005 02:03:38 +0000
First, I didn't think you came across as snippy. So, no apology needed. You have been very helpful and I thank you for taking the time to help me and everyone else on this site for that matter.

Second, I've been playing for alittle over a year (14 months I think). I've always loved every aspect of music and am now trying to make music.

I understand what you are saying about waiting for my vocals to come around. I just thought that I was missing something and doing something wrong. I guess I just wanted to know if I should keep pursueing my vocals as I really enjoy singing. I just need more practice at it.

I guess it stems from my friends laughing at me when I say I'm trying to sing as well as play guitar and they say, " you don't look like a singer" ..........I guess it's time to prove them wrong.

Thank you


Mike]]> In The Studio Mike https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/paged/2/#post-98087 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-98077 Wed, 13 Apr 2005 01:27:01 +0000
Two things, first my post came of kinda snippy, I apologize. It was meant to sound like, "Hey go easy on yourself, you need to practice and you'll nail it."

Second how long have you been playing? You probably are much more familiar with the guitar as an instrument than your voice, so the comparison isn't really a good one. You can pick up guitar fast, but the vocals may take more time.

Nick]]> In The Studio Nick Torres https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-98077 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-98073 Wed, 13 Apr 2005 01:17:30 +0000
Nick I've heard the song maybe a handfull of times so, you are pretty close to what happened.

todds,

Thank you for your advice and your kind words.


Thanks, I think I'm going to look into vocal lessons.]]> In The Studio Mike https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-98073 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-98045 Tue, 12 Apr 2005 21:58:38 +0000
You did a good job, Tracker. You ran into the same problem that every other guitarist first singer as an afterthough runs into.

Let me tell you what the biggest problem is with guitarists singing, they think it should happen first time everytime. As a follow on, if it doesn't happen right first time, they think they suck and will never get it.

How well do you think you would do if I said "here, listen to this song you've never heard before. Got it? Good let's go record it." That would be hard to do wouldn't it?

How many hours do you put in trying to learn to play a song? If you put in 1/3rd of that time learning to sing it you'd be golden?

I've been singing for years in front of big crowds and small, in big pressure situations and relaxed ones, as a pro and for fun and I almost never sing without hours of practice getting the vocal quality, breathing, phrasing, tempo, nuances, dynamics down.

So what I think has happened in this recording is just that. You aren't familiar with the part.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your voice. I think Polly actually sounds good through most of the track.

Nick]]> In The Studio Nick Torres https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-98045 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-98043 Tue, 12 Apr 2005 21:50:11 +0000
Did you do that in one take? I'm no expert, but I've found that my vocals are much better if I record just my guitar part on one track and then do several vocal takes. It usually takes me 6 or 7 takes just to get to a point where I don't think it completely sucks and I'm still not really happy with it. I just read a book about CSNY, and Stephen Stills usually did several takes just to get the voice warmed up.

I have new-found respect for singers. It takes a heck of a lot of concentration to sing. You've got to worry about breathing, enunciation, pitch control, etc. I say hang in there and keep doing takes until you see improvement.]]> In The Studio todds https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-98043 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-97785 Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:48:46 +0000
This is a cover of Polly by Nirvana.

My cousin was on the guitar for this one and I was butchering the vocals. So far this is the only track that we aren't both playing. Normally I'm lead, rythem and vocals and he plays the main rythem.

So......What am I doing wrong (besides singing :lol: )? Is there any hope or should I just go back to lead and rythem?]]> In The Studio Mike https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-97785 https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-97768 Sun, 10 Apr 2005 22:21:38 +0000
I'll see about having another shot at it later and maybe try to post it. I deleted the other ones because they stunk.

Thanks again everyone,
Mike]]> In The Studio Mike https://guitarnoise.forum/in-the-studio-in-the-studio/help-with-vocals/#post-97768